Space travel comes with risk − and SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission will push the envelope further than any private mission has before
- Written by Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona
Spacewalks are among the more dangerous activities associated with human spaceflight. Ignatiev/E+ via Getty ImagesSpace is an unnatural environment for humans. We can’t survive unprotected in a pure vacuum for more than two minutes. Getting to space involves being strapped to a barely contained chemical explosion.
Since 1961, fewer than 700...